Malawi to interconnect electricity with neighbours

The Millennium Challenge Account Malawi (MCA) has revealed plans of interconnecting Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia with electricity to ease energy challenges.

Malawi is implementing a five-year energy compact with funding from Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) amounting to $350.7 million (K157 billion), designed to contribute to the country’s efforts in reducing poverty through sustainable economic growth.
Under the compact, MCA-M wants to construct a 400 kilovolts (kv) power line from Phombeya in Balaka to Nkhoma in Lilongwe by 2017.
It will also construct a 132kv power line, which will run parallel to existing 66kv and 33kv lines, from Chintheche in Nkhata Bay to Bwengu in Mzimba, passing through Mzuzu.
MCA director of infrastructure development Felix Nkhoma told journalists recently that after this project is completed, government plans to interconnect Malawi and its three neighbouring countries through electricity.
“Substations at Bwengu, Nkhoma and Phombeya have been designed in a way that accommodates these future plans,” he said.
Nkhoma said the 400kv line from Nkhoma, described as the western transmission backbone, will be connected to Tanzania through Bwengu and Songwe.
He said there are plans at Nkhoma Substation, that Malawi will be connected to Zambia through Chipata.
“But Phombeya Substation is where the 400kv line interconnector from Mozambique is going to land,” he said.
Nkhoma said government has already engaged a consultant, with finances from the World Bank, to do a feasibility study on the line to be built from Nkhoma to Songwe, passing through Bwengu.
He said this interconnectivity will reduce challenges of power in the three neighbouring countries.
“When we have excess power, our neighbouring countries will access it from here. If we are short of power, we will get it from them. The power situation in Malawi will improve since we will have a lot of sources,” he said.
The transmission network upgrading activities under the compact seek to improve the quality and reliability of electricity supply, increase capacity, reduce technical losses and provide a secure transmission link in the country.